Peregrine falcons recovered from near-extinction caused by DDT poisoning — a conservation success story with ongoing welfare lessons for wildlife management.
The peregrine recovery demonstrates both how rapidly populations can collapse from human-caused welfare threats and how effectively they can recover when those threats are removed. Today, illegally persecuted peregrines suffer acutely from poisoning or shooting, with significant numbers dying annually from illegal killing that goes largely unprosecuted. Each illegal death represents both a welfare harm and a conservation setback. Robust law enforcement and zero tolerance for raptor persecution are the key remaining welfare and conservation challenges.